Weekend getaway- Tiruchirapalli

Pleasant, cool, breezy, and relaxing. That was Tiruchirapalli this weekend for those lucky enough to be there this season.

Its 4 in the morning, and I get off Trichy pallakarai station, the train halted due to a cross-over stopping and I need not wait to get all the way to Trichy Junction since Attai's(Aunt) place is much closer to pallakarai station. Thamba is on his way to the station to receive us and I get a few precious moments to look around the British built age old station. The fire extinguisher setup, the weight balance machine, the portraits that adorn the station, the Railway superintendent's haven is quite a sight to savour. The mice squeaking past you and the bigger than normal lizards would keep you company unless one freaks out the other :) The frail old man sleeping peacefully on the bench makes me feel humble, the entire surrounding brings over a pleasant calmness over me. Life is so perfect and beautiful.

Thamba arrives, cursing that his morning dreams have been spoilt by the cousin of his who he hardly likes, lol. He shows us the way, walking atleast a good 10 metres ahead, the distance only keeps increasing, and my morning walk is almost blissful, other than the heavy bag on my shoulders bothering me now and then. Attai is there waiting at the door, and after all hellos and how are you and other pleasantries, I doze off to make up for the lost winks. My tummy gives me a wake up call, and do the honours, breakfast was yummy Iddiyappams and steaming Idlis with mushroom curry. My aunts are busy chattering away with mom, and deciding on the lunch menu for the day. I curl off on the rather (un)comfortable sofa with a copy of Paulo Cohelo's Brida and I'm off to a different world. A rather mediocre book I would say.

Attai cannot walk properly owing to her age and health conditions, so we decide to get her a walking aid, dad takes tamba along to the medical centre and we decide to go to Srirangam and Uchi Pilaiyar temple after they are back.

We take a bus to Srirangam and I must say I drew a few stares owing to the not so appropriate kurta jean combo that I was wearing. Nevertheless I ignore and enjoy the surroundings. I remember being to Srirangam a long time ago, though not many times, something about the place has certainly changed and is continually changing. Like all other places, the footprint of modernism is setting in and Srirangam is no exception. I feel a little sad and guilty about it, a few years down the line, the temple would be there and that's it. I buy camphor and the Tulsi mala as offering to the God and walk along towards joining the spiralling queue, and it being a Saturday, the crowd is expected. There are 3 separate queues, one for the free darshan, one has a Rs.20 fee and the other a Rs.50 fee, and the number of people in each of them is inversely proportional to the price. We join the Rs.20 queue, would not have minded the free one if mom and dad were not along with me. I'm quite overwhelmed by the crowd and the pujaris asking to move over once we reach the place where God is resting asking us to look at the feet and the head and the snake which provides as the resting ground of the almighty, but I get my 2 seconds of complete stillness of the mind as I get to the closest allowed point near the idol. My views towards the omnipotent are rather agnostic, but I like to visit these places due to other interests such as the history of the place, the people living and visiting the place, the brilliant architecture, and of course mythology fascinates me. The prasadham they served that day was fresh and hot adirasams, it was yumm, my mouth waters even now at the thought of it :) We take a walk around the temple visiting the other small shrines around, and there I meet a pujari who took a special interest in lecturing me, about what? read along. As I close my eyes offer prayers and about to leave, the conversation starts:

Pujari: Neegalellam engai irundhu vandhirukel? (Where are you from?) Tamil pesarele(You talk tamil).

Dad: Aama gurukale nangal tamil dhan (yes, we are tamil only)

Pujari: Edhuku kekarai ena , tamil la pesarel aana udai(pointing at me) parthal onum sollamudiyalai, velinatukararukum namba deshatahukararkum vithiyasam theriyalai(I ask because, though you talk tamil, looking at your daughter thanks to my kurtha and my hair open, I'm unable to tell if you are from here)

And then he lectures me on how in our culture one should not ones hair open, I listen patiently, dad and mom get carried away and they continue talking about how this generation does not listen to what they say in such matters. I listen on, but I hope they realise the fact that it is out of respect to them that I have not spoken. Then he asks me where I am from and whether I'm studying. I tell him I'm from Bangalore and I work, and that kind of lets him lower down his judgement and decides to go a little easy. I strongly believe there are many more things which we needs to be passed on down the generations, like values, morals, good character, these need to be strongly incorporated rather than fussing about things like why one should not let ones hair open! I take leave and continue exploring the temple. Mom is a bit fussy now and tries to get me to tie my hair, but I have no accessories to aid the process and she generously lends hers, which I refuse, and we walk along, them thinking if anything can really change me and me already forgotten about it and admiring the paintings that adorn the wall. We finish the darshans and end our Srirangam expedition by savouring yummy puliyogare, thayir sadham (curd rice) and hot pongal(a sweet dish made of rice, jaggery and milk). And on the way out, I have my all time favourite, Lime soda and we make our way to the bus stand and take a bus back to attai's place. Uchi Pilayar Plan cancelled since the dark sky has already started enveloping over us.

The next day was spent at home, I finished reading Brida by then and had the rest of the day at my disposal, with almost nothing to do till I get to catch the train at 8.30 in the evening. I listen to my attai's woes for a while, not out of any interest, just to give her a hearing. And then hog on some karumvallikelangu and lunch has seafood on the platter. Time passes by and then dad calls for some 'family talk' where he lectures tamba, his sister and my aunt,(uncle passed away sometime back) I pity myself having to listen to it, and also dad since even after all these years he does not fully realise its a waste of time if not anything else. Its 7 already and thanks for that we can leave now. Its raining in Trichy and that evening it was a downpour, we catch an auto to the station and before I know, I'm lying down on the upper berth in the Myladuthurai-Mysore express and my thoughts have drifted far away, only to be awaken again by the Suprabhatam playing in the Auto which we took from Cant to home.

Signing off on a peaceful and refreshed note.